Stone-mounting



stars PATENT E'FICE.

ABRAHAM L. nmnsorr, on NEW YORK, AND CHARLES BIRNBAUM, 0F BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK.

' STONE-MOUN TIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed March 20, 1920. Serial No. 367,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ABRAHAM L. ELIA- sor-r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, and CHARLES BIRNBAUM, a citizen of the United States and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Stone-Mounting, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to jewelry such as stone settings, and more particularly relates to improvements in ornamental gem settings or mountings for holding precious stones in finger rings, or other jewelry.

An object of this invention is to produce an improved stone setting having a novel light reflecting medium which adds to the charm and luster, and also imparts an apparent visual magnification to the stone held in the setting.

Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved means for securely anchoring a precious stone, such as a diamond, in the prongs of a ring to the end that the delicate prongs are protected from wear, which decreases the possible danger of one or more prongs wearing away and permitting the stone to become loose in the setting and possibly be lost.

With the above principal objects. and

others in view, the invention has relation to the detailed design and construction of the stone base, and has relation to an improved method of mounting a precious stone in a ring or other jewelry, as set forth in the appended claims defining this invention, and practically constructed examples of which are described in the following specification and portrayed in the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Figure 1 shows a plan view of the stone base removed from the ring, and without showing a stonemounted therein; and Fig. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with a stone shown in dotted-line position within the base. Fig. 3 shows a detail view of the base holding a stone, the base being anchored in'the prongs of a ring setting.

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a similar stone base but constructed on a slightly modified design; and Fig. 5 shows a crosssectional'view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 portrays a perspective view of a precious stone mounted in a ring in accordance with one of the principles of our invention, prongs of the setting being broken away to clearly illustrate the construction of the girdle of the stone.

A gem setting, for mounting jewels in a ring, constructed in accordance with the plans of our invention comprises an ornamented base of novel character made of precious metal similar in color to the stone to be mounted. The base has a socket to hold the stone, and is in turn, mounted in the prongs of a ring setting to magnify and enhance, the size and appearance of the stone.

Anotherprinciple contained in our invention relates to the exact construction of the girdle of a precious stone, and provides notches therein for the reception of the pron s to protect them from wear and positively anchor the stone within the setting.

In presenting a more comprehensive disclosure of this invention, there is shown in the drawings, a metallic base 8 similar in color to the stone to be mounted therein. This stonebase is provided with a central socket or concavity 9 in which is set a precious stone. The girdle of the base 8 is provided with indentures or notches 10 for the reception of the delicate prongs of the ring setting.

The stone base just described is specially out and shaped on the upper surface thereof to produce a series of concave reflecting surfaces, 11, separated by the concave depressions 13 which communicate with the notches 10 to afford a seat for the bent over ends of the prongs of a setting. It is desirable to make the base in this manner so that the upper face thereof will collect the light, and reflect it in a myriad of tiny beams of light to produce an entirely newaesthetio effect not heretofore known in the art. The series of. concave reflectors 11 are engraved or otherwise made in the base 8, and the general shape of these individual reflectors may be made to suit the taste of the manufacturer, yet it is preferred to make them triangular in shape as shown in the drawings. This arrangement allows more reflectors 11 to be nested in each series surrounding the socket 9 than is possible with other shapes of con; cave surfaces.

Lugsor bosses 12 are made an integnl part of the base 8 to hold a stone 1 1 in the socket 9. These lugs may occupy either a relatively low or high position on the base.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lugs 12 rise from" the valley or lowermost point in the concave reflectors 11, and therefore hold the stone 1st comparatively low in the socket 9. In the modified forms of the stone-retaining base, as shown in Figsd and 5, the lugs 15 are made on the ridge between the concave reflecting surfaces 11 and, therefore, occupy a position relatively high in respect to the base, which displays the stone 16 in a more prominent and pronounced position than the first described base. Either form may be used, according to the desires of the manufacturer.

The stone 14 or 16 is mounted in either type of base 8. by setting the stone down in the socket 9 until the conically shaped walls thereof support the girdle of the base, and then the lugs 12 or 15 are bent over against the facet ofthe stone to anchor it in position within the socket of the stone base. Next, the-assembled stone base and gem is mounted in a ring, or-other jewelry setting, by placing the prongs 18 in the notches 10, and then bending the upper end of the prong down over the girdle of the base to permit the ends of the prongs to'lie flush in the concave depression 13; Both the point of the prong and the side thereof are embedded in the base8, which protects them against wear and, therefore, makes a durable ring setting.

We are aware that various forms of jewelry mountings have been employed to hold gems in fingerrings and the like for the intended purpose of displaying the gem to better advantage and for adding to the beautytliereof. Some of the mountings used for this purpose endeavor to imitate the general appearance of the polished faceted plane' suriace of the diamond by shaping the base or mounting with facets similar to a-diamond, but the metal facetedbase "with its flat surfaces does not'refiect o-r i'efract sparkle orluster really emanates from the base to augment that of the diamond;

"Elie-practice of our invention shows a marked departure from the art, in that we do not make our stone base in the shapeof a diamond, but leave off the facets. We

and embrace the prongs of a make use of the law which governs the col lecting and reflecting of light by using concave reflectors, and each reflector 11 produces distinct rays emanating from the base;

and, therefore, the many reflectors, grouped.

about the diamond, cast a myriad of rays rebounding from the base8 as reflected light. The myriadof'lightrays comingle and intersperse with the refracted color variation formed bythe prismatic effect of.

the diamond, thereby producing a remarkable color conibination which has never heretofore existedv in the ewelry art, and

which is only possible by combining reflect ed light with'fractionated light.

\Vith particular reference to Fig. 6, there is portrayed an important feature of ourthen set in position, as shown in Fig. 6, with the prongs 27 registering in the notches. In

this view, there is shown one prong 27in S6Ctl011,&11(l also, one prong is removed entirely from the ring to more adequately diS- close the contourof theindenture 26 made in the girdle. It is to beappreciated that the thin and delicate prongs 27 of a refined and slenderly designed prong of a ring setting is well protected by lying within-the notches 26 "so as to avoid'exposingthe- V .100

greater portion thereof to wear and tear.

This invention 1s presented to generally advance and improve the art of stonesettings-t0 the end that small stones may be enhanced in apparent size, beauty and value and, furthermore, that. large and valuable precious stones'ma'y the more safely set in delicate andslender rings; 7

Having thus described our nvention, we desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent:

' 1. A jewel mounting comprising-an annit lar base provided with means'for retaining a ewel in the central space thereof and hav- 7 ing depressions in its upper face and notches V communicating'with said depressions in its outer peripheral edges adapted to receive tect the same 'against'wear. 1

2'. A stone mounting compr sing a plii 'rality of setting prongs, and astonehaving notches'in its girdle adapted to receive and embrace theprongs for protecting the same ntiasorr. 1 7

against wear. I

' ABRAHAM' L.

CHARLES BIRNBAUM.

setting to pro 

